A big part of the south of the Netherlands is squeezed in between Belgium and Germany. It is the area where I grew up. My extended trip is continuing and I’m going to visit my family and friends in the south of the Netherlands.
So, yesterday I said goodbye to my American colleagues, with whom I spent a wonderful week in Amsterdam, pretending to be tourists. From arriving at Amsterdam airport, to a canal boat ride and what to do on a rainy day. We mainly ate a lot of good food, lol!!!
I haven’t been blogging every day. When friends and family know I’m “home”, days are filled with all kinds of visits. Which is a lot of fun, but also exhausting. So, it has been almost too busy to blog!
The differences between the South and the rest of the Netherlands
My family is originally from the south (the province of Limburg to be exact). There are several differences between “Limburgers” and the rest of the Netherlands. Just by traveling abroad and living in the US for 12 years, I started to look at the Netherlands in a different way. I have found these differences:
- In general, people are more mellow and softer, than people in the west of the Netherlands. I said in general…
- In almost every town people in Limburg people speak a different dialect. Some of the words are just slightly different, but sometimes people cannot understand each other at all, just living 30 minutes away from each other.
- There are specialty dishes which are typically from the south (“vlaai“, “hoofdkaas”, “zult”, “balkenbrij”, “huzaren salade”, asparagus, “knapkoek”, “zuurvlees”, “konijn in het zuur”, mustard, “nonnevot”, “stroop”. To name a few…)
- This is the only area where some hills are located. The rest of the Netherlands is mostly flat.
- This area is known for celebrating “Carnaval“. It’s like Mardi Gras, with lots of costumes, music, booze, colors, parades etc.
- The main religion is (Roman) Catholic.
- I hear different comments about how social or open the people in the south are. Some say yes, some say no. It depends on your interests and what your experiences are. I think the south is not used to tourists. People in the Randstad, including Amsterdam, are more open an used to explaining things to especially tourists.
There are probably more differences, but these are the main ones, in my opinion. Do you know any? Please let me know in the comments below.
A week in the south, what did I do!
Thursday. Checking on my colleagues.
The storm on Thursday was a big one. I woke up, because the wind was howling outside. I wondered if the plane with my American colleagues would actually go, because there was a code red for the middle area of the Netherlands including Amsterdam airport. More than 300 flights were canceled. Most of them were from KLM, but Iceland Air were indeed MONSTERS, because they just took off and it was a smooth trip in the end, according to my colleagues.
I stayed at home that day. An aunt and uncle came to visit, even though there was a code red and being on the road was not recommended.
Friday. Dynamic Tennis and visit Roermond.
On Friday my mom and I made a morning walk to the rec center to watch my dad play a game called ” Dynamic Tennis”. This is a combination between tennis and badminton. They play with racket ball rackets or junior tennis rackets with a (yellow) foam ball on a badminton court with badminton rules. One of the great things about this game is the low injury risk. And that’s why this game is played by mostly elderly people. In the US the game “Pickle Ball” is becoming more and more popular. It is similar to “Dynamic Tennis”.
In the afternoon I met with my old time friend from school in Roermond, the town/city I lived in before I moved to the US. It was as if we just had our monthly little get-together at our school for occupational therapy. It was so much fun to see her and catch up on our lives.
In the evening I had an amazing dinner with my brother and sister-in-law in Roermond. The restaurant “Toff” was located close to where I used to live.
Saturday. Visiting friends and family
On Saturday I had a lazy morning. In the afternoon I visited my dad side of the family at a birthday party. It was fun to see them. It was a rainy day and we saw lots of fallen trees from the storm. On our drive back , we stopped at my old volleyball club to see my brothers volleyball game.
Unfortunately I couldn’t watch the whole game, because I had a date with my girlzzz in Roermond. The restaurant, Mr. Sammi was at an old factory, which looked very industrial, but cozy at the same time. It used to be a paper factory, wool factory and flour factory, build in the 18th century. It was very busy and I had the feeling something sneaky was going on. As I approached the table, balloons were hanging on my seat and a table fireworks candle thingy went off. Thanks….jeezzz, ladies!!! These are my friends with whom I played volleyball for a good amount of time. And again…it felt as if we just played our volleyball game and went out after. Just like the way we used to do.
Sunday. A walk in the forest
Sunday we went for a beautiful walk in the forest close to my brother’s house in the “Leudal” area. It was muddy and a little chilly. My nephews were so excited to show me the different parts of the forest, like the bison forest and their favorite climbing tree…..which fell down during the storm last Thursday.
In a beautiful old farm house, which was transformed into a cozy restaurant, we had nice hot coffee and a cheese platter. I just love how the Dutch think about the things you can do after a nice walk through the forest.
In the evening we ordered take-out Chinese food at my parents place. Even Chinese food is different than Chinese food in the US. Maybe because it is a combination with Indonesian food?
Monday. Spending time with my nephews.
Monday my parents and I woke up early. This is the only day in the week my 3 nephews spend the day at my parents house. The 2 older boys went to school and the youngest stayed with us. After school we all played games and then my mom made dinner. My brother picked the boys up and we had to say goodbye, again!
What else to do in the South of the Netherlands?
Below you’ll find some other places to explore in the South…and don’t forget to visit Limburg in February when it is “Carnaval” time with parades in every town.
Maastricht
This city is far south towards the Belgian border going to Liege. Maastricht has a French feeling with lots of cathedrals and an old city wall. “Het Vrijthof” is a famous square with lots of fun restaurants and cafes. The weekly Farmers market on the Market Square and the beautiful Basilisks all around the city, like the “Onze Lieve Vrouw Sterre der Zee Basiliek” or the “Basilica of St Servatius” are amazing. Don’t get me started on the food…
Valkenburg
A few years ago my parents babysat our kids and my hubby and I went to a spa in Valkenburg. Soooo nice! Sooo worth it! Valkenburg is one of the only places in the Netherlands with some hills. Nope, cannot call them mountains. But the Limburgers are very proud of them. A lot of the houses in the center of this town are made with marl stone. And what about a Christmas Market in caves? Here you can find more ideas for a day trip to Valkenburg.
Thorn
This little town is very close to where I grew up. It has a city center with all white houses and other monumental buildings. I remember visiting one of the churches, or cathedral and looking at some mummies buried in the basement. Creepy!!! One thing you should visit when you have kids, is the pancake restaurant. This restaurant has over 300 pancakes. Sweet and savory ones. And even a play area for the kids.
Venlo
This city has a great history. Unfortunately, some buildings were destroyed in wars but a lot of them were saved or renovated. Here you can find what else you can do in Venlo.
What to bring home from the Netherlands
Of course, we had to go to the local grocery store to get my Dutch yummy treats to bring back home in the US. These are the items I got so far:
- “oliebollen” mix
- licorice
- some candy for the kids (…and for us big kids)
- vegetable broth cubes
- “cup a soup”
- old cheese for my husband
- “poffertjes” mix
- “stroopwafels”
- cream of wheat
- chocolate sprinkles
Weighing my suitcase was awful. I just bought too many presents to bring back home. Some heavier things I had to leave behind. Actually it was not a problem, because my parents will come and visit us in May of this year and I hope they can bring those things to the US for us.
Going to bed now……good night, my friends! Thanks for following me on this trip! A long trip ahead tomorrow! Back to the US of A!
Hello everyone,
Welcome to my Crafty Dutch Girl blog! Grab a cup of “koffie” and browse through fun blog posts about our Dutch family expat life in the USA, Dutch history, Dutch recipes, Dutch things to do in the USA and all kinds of crafts and activities. Don’t forget to connect with me for new ideas! “Groetjes en tot ziens”.